The affection that Welsh singer-songwriter Hannah Grae feels for her latest project is no secret. Ever since January 31, when Nothing Lasts Forever was announced for release on March 15, Grae has been assuring fans that this album is very personal to her, a project that she's proud of. Regarding the album, Grae wrote on Instagram, “I couldn't have put more of myself into it, and it feels like an extension of me.” It's impossible not to feel these sentiments while listening to the record, comprised of nine loud, sassy, heartbreaking tracks: “The Overture,” “Typical (the Buttercup Song),” “Better Now You're Gone,” “Need Me Now,” “It Could've Been You,” “Screw Loose,” “Number 4,” “Who Dunnit?”, and “When I Had Hope, I Had It All.”
“The Overture” is an instrumental opening track that builds up and bleeds seamlessly into the electric guitar riffs of “Typical”. This song is about working hard to achieve something, only to be disappointed once you actually have it. This is a “typical” hole that many celebrities fall into, including Hannah herself. The song appears to be written as a letter to the singer's younger self, as evidenced in the second verse lyrics, “Little me, hey, where did you go?” Additionally, the line, “Turn it up, Buttercup,” is found throughout the song. Buttercups often symbolizes childhood and youthfulness, and calling someone “Buttercup” generally implies that they are naive. “Typical” commemorates everything the singer has gone through to reach her dream, which turns out to be unsatisfying. Still, her younger, naive self is told to “Turn it up,” and continue down this typical path.
Track two turns the attention from career problems to relationship problems. That's right, “Better Now You're Gone” is a break up song, complete with Grae's signature upbeat rock sound. This track has a distinctly hopeful feel, as the singer expresses no regret over an ended relationship. Instead, she claims, “I would say that I hate change, now I know I was wrong.” Rather than writing a sad song, Grae celebrates her breakup as something that needed to happen.
“Need Me Now” delves deeper into the toxic relationship from the previous track. Essentially, the song describes a shallow relationship in which the other person acts as if they love the narrator, only to use her for their own benefit. This is seen in the lines, “But I’m a novelty/My time is borrowed/You couldn’t promise me/We’d have tomorrow.” Though the relationship is toxic, the singer is afraid of its end, as she sings, “I’m too afraid of getting hurt/So I shut my mouth and I stay alert.” This is a track that starts off slowly and plays with unusual form, coming to an emotional climax as Hannah repeatedly sings, “You need me now.”
“It Could've Been You” is another breakup song, this one angrier than the first, which makes sense considering the buildup in “Need Me Now”. “It Could've Been You” is a largely sarcastic song that includes the iconic bridge which was popular with fans when it was released as a single in September 2023. This track provides more detail to the story, while making it clear that the relationship never would've worked out, unless the other person changed their very being (“If you weren't a liar and I'd have been kinder, it could've been you”.)
“Screw Loose”, surprisingly, is not the most unhinged song on this album, though it probably comes in second place. This track expresses the feeling like you're going crazy because of negative thoughts. It's a bit anguished and a bit angry, loud and wild and an absolute blast to dance. Bits of hope glimmer through as Grae claims she's “Hoping I can turn all that hate into art.” The idea is to embrace all of the chaos, pain, and insanity as a part of the life we're given.
Following the intense beats of “Screw Loose”, “Number 4” is slow and sad. I get the feeling that this song is very personal, as to my knowledge, the title is unexplained, though it's likely a house number. Though it's unclear exactly who or what the song is about, the basic story and feelings can be clearly understood. “Number 4” is about returning to what used to be a home and reuniting with someone there, trying to “Pretend that we're fine again,” even as the place feels desolate and nothing is the same as it once was.
Following “Number 4” is another rapid vibe switch, with Hannah shouting the line, “All hands bloody.” Remember how I said “Screw Loose” wasn't the most unhinged song on the album. This is solely the fault of “Who Dunnit?”, the second-to-last track which serves as a spontaneous murder mystery. The story is told from the perspective of the murderer, who is completely unsuspected. Other than a fun, edgy track for its release on Halloween, I believe that the purpose of “Who Dunnit?” can be found in the second verse, “And they still wouldn't believe that poor me could be to blame.” The idea is one of being underestimated and angry, and, like in “Screw Loose”, going crazy.
The final song, “When I Had Hope, I Had it All”, is a sad song with an impactful instrumental. This is a song of regret for what was lost, a lonely tale of reaching your goals only to be disappointed. This song loops back to the first track, carrying many of the same themes, but in a completely different light. “When I Had Hope, I Had it All” is heartbreaking and beautiful, with raw lyrics that cut straight to the heart. From the bridge: “I got to the top, I got what I wanted/I look at the view and I think that it's haunted/There's nobody here, no one to call/The ones that I love know nothing at all/I keep it all in, I don't tell a soul/How ungrateful I'd be if I let it all go/I want to go back to when I had nothing/The drive for it all made me feel something/The less that I had, the less I could fall/And when I had hope, I had it all.”
“Nothing Lasts Forever” is a deeply emotional album with recurring themes of striving and disappointment, of love and frustration, of freedom, and of the insanity that comes with angst. Two of the tracks directly address fame and satisfaction, while three are clearly about a toxic relationship and a breakup, and the remaining three songs (excluding the Overture) address feelings that apply to both situations. Interestingly, the structure of the album almost creates a frame story. Though “Typical” and “When I Had Hope, I Had it All” never reach a joyous conclusion, the breakup storyline has a clear hopeful ending. There were painful feelings, but they didn't last. The satisfaction struggles may still be ongoing (at least, a clear conclusion isn't reached in this album), but if we follow the same pattern, these will pass as well. It's true, then, that nothing lasts forever.
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